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Yields:
12 serving(s)
Prep Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Recreate the elegant splendor of a tea room in your own home with these easy and delicious tea sandwiches! Traditional smoked salmon, classic ham and cheddar, and vibrant curried chicken salad make for a tantalizing trifecta that will tickle the tastebuds without overpowering the tea. Allowing for 4 to 6 finger sandwiches per person (no one will want just one!), these recipes make enough sandwiches for more than 12 lucky guests. Treat your mom, sister, aunt, grandma, cousin, friend, and yourself to a sophisticated afternoon this spring. (Psst... a tea party makes a wonderful Mother's Day celebration) Warm up your kettles, it’s time for tea!
How do you cut bread for tea sandwiches?
The key to getting clean slices out of tea sandwiches is freezing the bread. When using a cookie cutter or a serrated knife, frozen bread holds its shape much better than soft, room-temperature bread. It also keeps the bread nice and fresh. If you’re assembling the sandwiches the morning of, store the slices under damp paper towels to keep the bread from drying out.
How many finger sandwiches per person for afternoon tea?
Generally 3 to 4 sandwiches are served at afternoon tea along with other goodies. However, these sandwiches are such a snap to put together, there’s no need to skimp!
What else do you need to serve at tea?
There aren’t any hard and fast rules when it comes to what to serve for tea food-wise. A standard menu usually has a selection of sandwiches or other savory delicacies, tiny cakes or cookies, and a scone. Don’t get too stressed about the intricate desserts; afternoon tea is meant to be a pleasurable experience! Pop by a local bakery; they usually have a lovely selection of macarons, petit fours, tartlets, and cookies.
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Ingredients
For the curried chicken salad:
- 8 oz.
prepared chicken salad
- 2 Tbsp.
chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp.
chopped toasted sliced almonds
- 1 Tbsp.
raisins
- 1/2 Tbsp.
lemon juice
- 1 tsp.
curry powder
- 12
slices very thin whole wheat bread, frozen
For the smoked salmon and cucumber:
- 1
5.2 ounce package garlic and herb gournay-style cheese, such as Boursin
- 3 Tbsp.
heavy cream
- 2 tsp.
capers, drained and chopped
- 2 tsp.
chopped chives
- 12
slices pumpernickel bread, frozen
- 6 oz.
smoked salmon, finely chopped
- 2
Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
For the ham and cheddar:
- 6 oz.
cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbsp.
diced pimentos, pat dry
- 3 Tbsp.
chopped Italian parsley
- 3/4 tsp.
garlic powder
- 24
slices very thin white bread, frozen
- 8 oz.
sliced ham
- 12
slices cheddar cheese
Directions
For the curried chicken salad:
- Step 1In a medium bowl, combine the prepared chicken salad, cilantro, almonds, raisins, lemon juice, and curry powder.
- Step 2Place 6 slices of frozen bread on a cutting board. Spread 2 tablespoons of the curried chicken salad on the bread, smoothing evenly with a butter knife or an offset spatula. Place the other 6 slices of bread on top of the chicken salad. Using a serrated knife, cut the crusts off of the sandwiches. Cut each sandwich diagonally into triangles. Cut each triangle in half to form 4 triangles for each sandwich.
For the smoked salmon and cucumber sandwich:
- Step 1In a medium bowl, mash the cheese and heavy cream with a fork until smooth. Fold in the capers and chives.
- Step 2Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Top 6 slices of bread with 2 tablespoons of chopped smoked salmon. Top each sandwich with bread, cheese side down. Using a serrated knife, cut the crusts off of the sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into 4, 3x1-inch rectangles. Shingle 3 thinly sliced cucumber rounds on each finger sandwich.
For the ham and cheddar sandwiches:
- Step 1In a medium bowl, mash the cream cheese with a fork until smooth. Fold in the pimentos, parsley, and garlic powder until well combined.
- Step 2Using a 1 ¾-inch round cookie cutter, cut 2 rounds out of each slice of bread. Using the same cookie cutter, cut 48 rounds of ham and 24 rounds of cheddar cheese.
- Step 3Spread ½ teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture on each bread round. Place 24 slices of ham on top of 24 cream cheese-topped bread rounds. Add the slices of cheddar on top of the ham. Top with the remaining 24 slices of ham and the remaining bread rounds, cream cheese side down.
Tip: Use Ree Drummond's favorite chicken salad if you don't want store-bought!
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